Important Things About Uttar Pradesh Tourism 2g276q

Chapter - 3 Tourism in Uttar Pradesh

Chapter - 3

Tourism in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is one of the larges states of India. It posses a very rich historical heritage which has given this state a large number of places of tourist attraction. Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh at Agra, India. It has a universal appeal and is a part of household

vocabulary.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum of singular beauty dedicated to true and eternal love. Built at the behest of Shahjahan, the Mughal Emperor of India in the 17

century. It took

twenty years to build employing a labour force of about 20 thousand. Constructed of pure white marble, its eternal beauty may be likened to a 'dream in m a r b l e ' specially on moonlit nights. People the world over are attracted to it and it is the highlight of Indian tourism, which with other unique features- natural, historical and religious justifies Uttar Pradesh being reckoned as India's one of the most

*

The source of reference of this chapter are indicated in detail in the Bibliography appended at the end of the thesis. 106

magnetic region that attracts tourists, both domestic and foreign, in progressively increasing numbers.

About Uttar Pradesh Uttar

Pradesh,

independence,

is

known

India's

as United most

Provinces

populous

before

state

with

a

population, which is more than the combined population of some of the West European nations. Areawise, it is the fourth

largest state of India. It is half of the area of

, three times of Portugal, four times of

Ireland,

seven times of Switzerland, ten times of Belgium and a little bigger than England. With Uttranchal and partly Nepal to its north, Bihar and Jharkhand to its east, Madhya Pradesh to its south and south-west,

Haryana

to

its

west,

along

with

Union

Territory of the national capital region of Delhi and some parts of Rajasthan, it has Himachal Pradesh to its northwest. In a manner of speaking, it occupies the

central

position in India and alongwith some other major

states

like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, it is completely landlocked.

107

The land of Rama and Krishna, one born and brought up, banished and then crowned and fully established as a king

and

the

other

born

and

brought

up

here

before

migrating to Dwarka in Gujrat, has often been at the centre of affairs in I n d i a ' s life. With its holy city of Varanasi, or Benares, with the Lord of the Universe, Kasi-Vishwanath, making

his abode

close

to the great

Ganga,

with

the

importance attached to Ayodhya and Mathura as well as Barindavan and with the world famous Taj Mahal at Agra, Ujtar Pradesh will always occupy a place of importance in India With the mighty Himalayas as its backdrop the land of the huge Gangetic plain connects the north of India to the

east.

The

state

is

actually

divided

into

three

geographical parts: the Himalayan region and some of the foothills areas in the north, the vast plain known as the Gangetic plain, covering much of the state and the Vindhya mountains in the south. Both in of geography and in political and istrative , the state could also be divided

into

five

zones

the

western

zone,

which

is

comparatively well developed and better off than the rest in of agriculture

and industry; the eastern 108

zone

which is not so well developed, the central zone, the hills region,

which

may infact

separate state from

it has recently

emerge

as a

the rest of Uttar Pradesh, and the

Bundelkhand region in the south close to Madhya Pradesh. Of its total length of 2525 kms., the Ganga has as much as 1450 kms. of its long run in Uttar Pradesh. The Yamuna, merges with the Ganga from the right side while its tributaries on the left are the Gomti, the river which runs through the capital city of Lucknow, the Ramganga, the Ghaghra and the Gandak. The Yamuna rises in the Yamunotri glacier in the Uttranchal and then enters Himachal Pradesh from which it flows into Haryana before entering Capital of Delhi. It flows towards Uttar Pradesh and touches the sacred city of Mathura, across which lies Krishna's Brindavan, and then enters the historic city of Agra which was once the capital of the Mughals. Right on the banks of the river is one of the wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, and then the Yamuna turns towards the east. One of the great rivers which s the Yamuna here is the Chambal, flowing from Rajasthan

and

Madhya

Pradesh,

109

at

Etawah

before

the

Yamuna itself merges with the Ganga at Allahabad. The Yamuna is 1376 kms. long much of it in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has a unique historical Even

in

the

Mahabharata importance

prehistoric the

because

period

of the

had

acquired

region

of the Rama

and

background.

Ramayana a

and

significant

Krishna

legends

emerged from its soil. From nearby Bihar, the great figure of the Buddha

came to Varanasi

and at Sarnath,

just

outside the eternal city, it was there that he preached his first

sermon

for

which

Sarnath

is

The

Buddha

Kanachakrapravartanakshetra.

known

as

moved

the about

between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and it was in Deoria that he breathed his last. Deoria is a district town in eastern Uttar

Pradesh.

At

Sarnath,

Asoka,

the

great

Mauryan

emperor who ruled from Patliputra, modern Patna, built one of his beautiful monolithic polished pillars with the 'four l i o n s ' capital on it. Only three of the four lions are visible in any picture as invariably the fourth lion remains hidden

when

you

take

a

frontal

picture.

The

Indian

government chose the three lions (actually four) as the state emblem of free India with the Satyameva Jayate from the Kathopanishad inscribed on it, meaning 'truth always 110

t r i u m p h s ' , something to which the Indian state itself has to live up to. The entire State, except for the northen region, has a tropical monsoon climate. It could be said that the climate in

the

state

is

generally

cold,

almost

alpine

in

the

Himalayan region, and both hot and cold in the rest of the state. In the plains, the bulk of the state, the climate is cool or cold from November to early March although the days are pleasant and often

warm. After the middle of

March it gets to be hot and in May it could rise to 45°c or even more in the plains. June is both hot and humid until the south-west monsoon breaks in all its fury. The rainfall is more towards the eastern parts of the state and it goes on

decreasing

as

one

approaches

the

western

parts.

Similarly there is heavy rainfall in the Himalayan region but it goes on decreasing towards the southern parts of the state. Some wide variations could well be imagined to exist in such a vast state. The forests

are thick and deep in the

Himalayan

region but are sparse in the rest of the state. As against the Indian average of 21.5 per cent of forest area, which itself is less than required, the forest cover in Uttar Pradesh is 111

17.41 per cent. In two areas, Ballia and Ghazipur, both in the eastern region it is below one percent. It is only to be expected that such a large

state

watered by the mighty Ganga and Yamuna and nestling in the Himalaya for a significant part, would have a wide and rich variety of flora and fauna. It has an amazing variety of some 1,000 woody plants, including 3,000 trees, 400 shrubs, and 100 woody climbers. More than 200 species of grasses have been identified in the Gangetic plains along with a rich supply of herbs and valuable medicinal plants. The variegated topography and climate of Uttar Pradesh is conducive for the upkeep of an enormous variety of animal life. Its fauna is among the richest in the country. The jungles of Uttar Pradesh abounds in tigers, leopard, wild boars, sambhar and barking deer rhinos and wild sheep and goats in some parts and snakes everywhere, jungle cats, jackals, foxes, monitor lizards and scores of other species of mammals and reptiles. The birds include dove, pigeon blue jay,

peafowl

and

migratory

birds

Kingfisher.

To

preserve its wildlife, the state has established one national park

the

famed

Dudhwa

National

112

Park.

The

Dudhwa

National Park, which is a major tourist attraction, covers 212 sq. km. of land. The western region of the state is far more advanced in of agriculture, infrastructure and even industry than the other regions, particularly

the eastern

region.

Together they constitutes the large majority of the state's area

and

population.



for

That

the bulk

the

farmers

of the states are

abundant

enterprising

and

progressive goes without saying in the western region. The Ganga Canal, the backbone of the irrigation system, is the gift of the British rulers who developed it in the nineteenth century, but much more has been added by the successive governments in the years of freedom and by the farmers themselves by way of their irrigation pumps. Uttar Pradesh has an enormous historical legacy. The renowned

epics

of

Hinduism

the

Ramayana

and

the

Mahabharata were written in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh also had the glory of being home to Lord Buddha as stated earlier. It has now been established that Gautama Buddha spent most of his life in eastern Uttar Pradesh, wandering from place to place preaching his sermons.

113

The empire of Chandra Gupta Maurya extended nearly over the whole of Uttar Pradesh. Edicts of this period have been found at Allahabad, Varanasi and Dehradun. After the fall of the Mauryas, the present state of Uttar Pradesh was divided into four parts: Surseva, North Panchal, Kosal and Kaushambi. The western part of Uttar Pradesh saw the advent of the Shaks in the second century BC. Not much is known of the history of the state during the times of Kanishka and his successors. The Gupta Empire ruled over nearly the whole of Uttar Pradesh, and it was during this time that culture and architecture reached its peak. The decline of the Guptas coincided with the attacks of Huns from Central Asia who succeeded

in

establishing

their

influence

right

up

to

Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The seventh century witnessed the taking over of Kannauj by Harshavardhana. In 1526, Babar laid the foundation of the Mughal dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat. Babar carried out extensive campaign in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. He defeated the Rajputs near Fatehpur Sikri while his son Humayun conquered Jaunpur and Ghazipur, after having brought the whole of Awadh under his control. 114

After

Babar's death (1530), his son Humayun

lost the

empire after being defeated at the hands of Sher Shah Suri at Kannauj. After the death of Sher Shah Suri in 1545, Humayun once again regained his empire but died soon thereafter. His

son Akbar

proved

to be the greatest

of

the

Mughals. He established a unified empire over nearly the whole of India. During his period, Agra became the capital of India and became the

heartland of culture and arts.

Akbar laid the foundation of modern Indian istration in many respects. His reign saw peace, tranquility

and

progress. He constructed huge forts in Agra and Allahabad. He shifted his capital to a city called Fatehpur Sikri close to Agra, which for some years became the hub of the istration. In 1605, Akbar died and was succeeded by his son Jahangir. The period of Jahangir saw arts and culture reach a new high. However, politically and istratively, the real

power

during

this

time

rested

with

the

queen

Noorjahan. In 1627, after the death of Jahangir, his son Shahjahan ascended the throne. The period of Shahjahan is known as the golden period of India in art, culture, and 115

architecture. It was during his reign that the

classical

wonder Taj Mahal was built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He also constructed the famous Red Fort at Delhi as well as the Jama Masjid and Moti Mahal. During his later life,

Shahjahan

was

deposed

by

his

son

Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb shifted his capital to Delhi, where he kept his father Shahjahan imprisoned until his death. The regime of Aurangzeb saw innumerable revolts and riots; the whole of Rajputana and the Deccan became restive. However, it was during his reign that the Mughal Empire reached its peak in of geographic expansion. But with the death of Aurangzeb

in 1707, the Mughal Empire declined at an

amazing pace. Modern day Uttar Pradesh saw the rise of important freedom

fighters

on

the

national

scenario.,

Jawaharlal

Nehru, Lai Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, and Singh were only a few of the many patriots from

Charan Uttar

Paradesh who played a significant role in India's freedom movement and also rose to become the prime ministers of this great nation. Uttar Pradesh is the prototype of India, multicultural, multiracial, conglomeration of fabulous wealth of nature116

hills, valleys, rivers and vast plains. Viewed as the largest tourist destination in India, Uttar Pradesh boasts of 35 million domestic tourists. More than a third of the foreign tourists, who visit India every year, make it a point to visit this state of the Taj and the Ganga. Agra itself receives around one million foreign tourists a year coupled with around

twenty

million

domestic

tourists.

Its

tourism

promotion budget is bigger than that of Government of India and half of the States of the Indian Union combined. Uttar Pradesh is studded with places of tourist attractions across a wide spectrum of interest to people of diverse interests. The seventh most populated state of the world, Uttar Pradesh can lay claim to be the oldest seat of

India's

culture and civilization. It has been characterized as the cradle of Indian civilization

and culture

because

it is

around the Ganga that the ancient cities and towns sprang up.

Tourism in Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh has enormous natural resources

and

potential for Tourism Industry that can make considerable 117

impact on the economic development of the state. In order to highlight the tourism potential of Uttar Paradesh it may be mentioned that it has been home to the cultures of Hinduism,

Jainism

and

Islam.

Innumerable

monuments,

most beautiful carved temples of interest to tourists. From the point of view of tourism, Uttar Pradesh has a special place in India. This state abounds with places of historical, religious

and

cultural

importance

and

there

are

innumerable destinations of fascinating natural beauty. For these reasons a great many foreign tourists who come to India visit

this

state. The Department

of Tourism

has

constantly been trying to maintain and develop places of tourist

importance

and

to

make

necessary

facilities

available to tourists. With this role in view tourist houses and

wayside

facilities

provided

by the

Department

of

Tourism, has been reassessed. Attention is being focused on the speedy completion of programmes relating to the provision of infrastructural facilities. With its facinating beauty in diversity, Uttar Pradesh offers, perhaps, the richest tourism potential. Snow clad mountains, thick forests and wild life. Also shrines and temples, glorious forts and monuments. There is ample 118

scope for breath taking adventure and sports; trekking, skiing, hand

gliding, water and aero

Pradesh

a

has

reputation

for

its

sports

beautiful

etc.

Uttar

arts

handicrafts, traditional cuisine, and costumes and

and

varied

culture.

P r e s e n t S c e n a r i o of U.P. T o u r i s m According to an estimate one foreign tourist from every three and one from every four domestic tourists visits Uttar Pradesh. It is estimated that in 1998 about 846.55 lakh domestic tourist and 7.83 lakh foreign tourist visited Uttar Pradesh which was 10 per cent more as compared to those in the preceding year. In 2000, domestic tourists ed for 648.30 lakhs and foreign tourist 10.2 lakhs. Domestic tourists were less than in 1998 but foreign tourist arrivals were more than in 1998. In 2001 domestic tourists were estimated at 680.30 lakhs and foreign tourist arrivals 7.95 lakhs. In this year the number

of domestics

tourist

increased

but

foreign

tourist arrivals decreased in compared to last year. As a result of new incentives proposed in the new policy, a phenomenal increase is expected in the number of

119

tourists,

in

the

current

new

millennium

year

foreign

tourists 30 lakh and domestic tourists 10 crore. Since

long

Uttar

Pradesh

due

to

its

unique

geographical location has been the centre attraction tourists.

The trend of tourist growth is given in the table

below:

Tourist Visiting Uttar Pradesh Year

I n d i a n Tourist

1984

179.34

1.22

180.56

1985

1.23

170.56

1986

169.33 172.34

1.84

174.18

1987

242.93

1.98

244.91

1988

245.74

3.35

249.09

1989

251.32

3.61

254.93

1990

326.49

3.60

1991 1992

341.85 370.36

4.53 5.04

330.09 346.38 375.40

1993

407.23

4.80

412.03

1994

445.15

5.25

450.40

1995

489.65

5.76

495.41

1996

538.62

6.33

544.95

1997

593.01

6.61

599.62

1998

769.80

777.07

1999 2000 2001

681.96 680.71 648.80

7.27 8.00 7.95

Source:

for

Annual

Statistical

Foreign

Tourist

10.20 Report,

120

Deptt.

of Tourism,

Total

689.96 688.66 659.00 Lucknow

There has been a steady increase in the number of domestic tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh except in the year 1985, 1986, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The Tourism Development Policy has been framed in Uttar Pradesh under which Tourism is being developed in the following nine Circuits. Buddhist, Bundelkhand, Braj (Agra-Mathura),

Awadh,

Vindhya,

Water

Cruise,

Jain

Shrines , Sikh Panth and Eco-Tourism . The principal

aims and objectives

may be listed

as

under: 1. To publish features historical

and

of

circulate

sport

literature

tourist

interest

which and

highlights

cultural

and

importance and other associated details, and

make such literature available to tourists both foreign and domestic; 2. To

maintain

the

historical,

religious

and

cultural

traditions of Uttar Pradesh and to promote them; 3. To provide cheap, clean and satisfactory

facilities

tourists in matters of transport, accommodation, and recreation;

121

to

food

4. To earn income including foreign exchange; 5. To contribute their share in the removal of poverty by accelerating local economic growth; 6. To

help

in

the

removal

of

regional

disparities

by

developing tourism in rural and remote areas. 7. To

enhance

and

encourage

of

the

private sector in efforts of the State Government

for

providing

and

necessary

the

participation

facilities

to

domestic

international tourists; 8.

To promote regional national integration by attracting persons

from

different

regions,

speaking

different

languages and adopting different customs; 9.

To promote youth tourism;

10.

To encourage the home tourists by providing cheap accommodation,

and to increase

facilities

for

the

budget tourists; and 11.

To organised cultural shows on occasion of different fairs

and

festivals

and

seminars

attracting more and more tourists.

122

with

a view

to

U.P. Tourism Policy Redefined The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh announced a new tourism policy for the state in a well attended meeting in The Federation

of Indian

Chambers

of Commerce

and

Industry (FICCI) auditorium, New Delhi on January 10, 1999.

All

were

very

impressed

by

the

liberal

and

progressive policies announced by Uttar Pradesh and the package

of

incentives

announced

for

hotels

and

other

tourism units. The highlight of the incentives announced by Uttar Pradesh and other significant features of the new policy are detailed below: •

Tourism

has

been

given the status

of

industry

and

government orders will be issued to accord all benefits of industry to the eligible tourism units. • Luxury tax will be exempted for a period of 5 years on all new tourism units/hotels. •

Sales tax (now called trade tax in U.P.) exemption for hotels and restaurants (in hotels) for a period of 5 years.

• U.P. Finance Corporation and PICUP will extend loans to tourism related activities. • Upto

3-star

hotels

will

be

residential areas. 123

allowed

to

be

built

in

•

Free

lease of Government

land ading

hotels

and

other tourism units for beautification and landscaping. • Hotels and tourism units which have independent 33/11 K.V. feeders will be exempted from power cuts for a period of 5 years. •

Setting up of tourist police and stationing of five Chetak Gypsies at Agra and Varanasi in the first phase.

• Providing

for

single

table,

single

roof

facility

for

clearance of all permissions and licences at State and District level. •

Setting up a Coordination Committee called 'Friends of Tourism' for inter departmental coordination under the Chief Secretary.

•

Setting up of District Tourism Councils as

societies

under the Charitable Trust Act to enable them to raise and spend funds. Grants will also be given to them by the Tourism Department. •

15% capital

investment

subsidy, with a maximum of

Rs.7.50 lacs for eligible heritage hotels. •

10% capital investment subsidy with a ceiling of Rs.5.00 lacs to tourism units investing in specified Circuits for approved projects. 124

• Area Development Funds to be set up for major tourism centres. The Agra Heritage Fund has already been set up with initial seed capital from the State Government. • Identified of major thrust areas. • A master plan would be prepared for providing quality services

and

ensuring

integrated

development

and

marketing of all the Circuits. •

Creation of a special fund to finance state of the art tourist infrastractural facilities in each Circuit.

•

Co-operation of private sector and NRIs for

financing

projects at various tourist places. •

Increasing the number of approved hotels in the State from

80 to 300 and the bed capacity from

5,000 to

15,000 in the next decade. • Raising the level of foreign tourists arrival to the State from

7.2

lakh to

30 lakh per annum

and

domestic

tourists arrival from 360 lakh to 1000 lakh. •

Investment of Rs. 10,000 crores at current prices to be made in tourism industry from the public and private sector in the next decade in the State as against Rs. 350 crores per annum at present.

125

•

Provision of additional employment to 5 lakh persons directly and to another 50 lakh persons indirectly in the State in the next decade.

• Provision

of

attractive

tax

benefit

package

for

the

tourism units. They would get the same benefits as are given to the industrial units in the State. • Exempting hotels from the levy of luxury tax below a rental

of

Rs.lOOO/-,

facility

of

exemption/deferment

from levy of luxury tax to the new recognised tourism units

for

a period

of five

years

from

the

date

of

commencement of operations. Exemption/deferment

of

levy of entertainment tax to new ropeways for a period of

five

years,

exemption/deferment

of

trade

tax

on

restaurants in the new recognised tourism units for a period of five years. Compounding system to assess the levy

of

entertainment

tax

on tourism

units

for

the

display of television programmes in their rooms using the services of a Cable operation or through a Dish Antenna •

Exemption from trade tax and entertainment tax on all units recognised under the paying guest scheme with a capacity of upto five rooms (maximum ten beds) and 126

exemption from entertainment tax to ail existing and new amusement parks U.P.F.C. and PICUP will extend loans to tourism projects. • Tourism

Self

Employment

Scheme

with

financial

assistance of upto Rs. 10.00 lacs for all kinds of tourism related outlets including small hotels and restaurants. • Beer bar licences will also be granted to recognised private hotel units having restaurant

facilities,

apart

from units of ITDC and UPSTDC. • The

procedure

to

get

various

approvals

will

be

simplified and the criteria to assess luxury tax will be rationalised. • Neccessary through

infrastructure

facilities

private-public

will be

partnership

developed

and

special

importance would be given to facilitate investment by NRIs. • Priority to develop basic infrastructure roads,

aviation

services,

rail,

facilities

surface

and

transport assured electrical supply, telecom

viz. water

facilities,

drinking water, sewage facilities and accommodation. • New

products

naturopathy,

like

advanture

yoga,

spiritual,

sports,

water

127

ayurveda,

cruises,

film

locales, diverse cuisines, traditional attire, village life etc. will be developed to attract more tourists. • Eco-tourism will be promoted in hills, forests and water bodies. • A Heritage hotels subsidy scheme with a subsidy of 10% and

ceiling

of

Rs. 7.5

lakh

will

be

introduced

encourage the conversion of private heritage

to

building

into attractive accomodation facilities. • Restoration of ancient places, havelies, buildings and forts will be undertaken in the State. • A Capital Investment subsidy scheme with an incentive of 10% and a ceiling of Rs. 5.00 lakh will be introduced to attract more investment in tourism sector. • For effective co-operation between various departments and to solve problems faced

by the entrepreneurs a

"Paryatan Mitra" committee will be constituted headed by the Chief Secretary. • District Tourism Promotion Councils will be constituted as a ed society in all the districts of the State to promote local initiative for the development of tourism. • Establishment of a Hospitality Management Institute at Varanasi. 128

• A special "Research Cell" and a "Mahotasav Cell" will be set-up

in the directorate of tourism

to

facilitate

collection of data, analytical research and better conduct of festivals. • Effective

marketing

will

be

arranged

through

participation in domestic and international travel trade conferences,

fairs

and

world

tourism

marts

and

by

organising an 'Uttar Pradesh Show' every year in some foreign countries. • An awareness compaign about tourism will be launched in the major tourist centres of the state with the help of the N G O ' s and travel trade. Uttar Pradesh tourism has started a new scheme this year to through the electronic media. There have been some further relaxations in respect of the luxury tax. The tax will now be only on room charges and not on Food and Beverage and other charges. The applicability will also be on actuals and not on the published room rates. Separate orders on most of these incentives, including the single-roof, single table facility are being issued by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

129

Measures to setup UP Tourism Uttar

Pradesh,

has the

largest

number

of

tourist

destinations that are religious, cultural, historical and rich in

natural beauty. Uttar Pradesh Tourism Corporation has

published

literature

giving

all information

about

these

places. This literature is available at its Head Office, and other Regional Offices, at a nominal cost. Such literature can

be

sent

by

post

also,

provided

the

interested

its

ed

persons/parties bear the postal charges. It

arranges

package

tours

through

agencies. Itinerary and tariff details are available on its website.

The

citizens

can



its

Head

Office

or

Regional Tourist Officer or UPTOURS (the travel division of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Corporation) to get information and have the bookings arranged. Its hotels

at almost

all

important

comfortable accommodation at affordable

places

provide

rates. There is

facility of advance booking also. The list of hotels and their tariff is also available on the website. Bookings can be made at the Advance Reservation

130

Centres

in

cities

namely

Mumbai,

Delhi,

Chennai,

Kolkata,

Chandigarh,

Ahmedabad. Efforts

have been made to arrange

high

standard

accommodation in hotels through the private sector, also and

for

this a rational tax structure

Department

is

trying

to

provide

is in place. accommodation

The at

affordable rates to pilgrims at the religious places. In case tourists face any harassment of any kind at any tourist place, they can lodge their complaint at the Regional Tourist Office

or send their complaint to the

Head Office by E-mail/Fax. The complaint will be looked into immediately and feed back on the action taken, made available to them. It has set up a special Tourist Police force comprising of

ex-servicemen,

which

will

tackle

the

problem

of

harassment/exploitation by the local touts and anti-social elements. To ensure transparency in istration, a special cell has been set up at the Head Quarter. In case any person wants to see files of the department, he can do so on payment of the stipulated fee. 131

It also invites tenders

for various jobs

from

time to time. It also

organises

festivals at different places throughout the year. All such press

releases

and

ments

are

published

in

newspapers and such information can also be had from the website. Uttar Pradesh is set to attract more tourists. It is the most populous state in India and receives maximum number of foreign tourists visiting India and is next only to Andra Pradesh in domestic arrivals. Realizing

the potential of tourism industry in Uttar

Pradesh, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has launched a new

tourism

infrastructure

programme.

Its

development

emphasis and

is

on

integrated

planned product

marketing. In each Circuit Development Committees will be established and a master plan will be designed. More emphasis

is being

given

on middle

class

tourists

and

pilgrimage. An awareness compaign relative to tourism had been launched in the major tourist places of the state with the help

of

the

NGO's

and

Travel

Trade.

Uttar

Pradesh

Tourism has initiated a new scheme this year to a through the electronic media. A major compaign had been 132

launched

to popularise Uttar Pradesh Tourism

products

through various electronic media. Overseas marketing for Uttar Pradesh tourism been reoriented Tourist offices

with the help of Government

of

had India

abroad. Publicity material on U.P. Tourism

had been published in foreign languages and distributed through these offices. Keeping

in

view

the

importance

of

information

technology (IT) and the electronic media, U.P. Tourism had been prepared 8 to 10 films on its major products in various

tourism

Millennium

Circuits

during

'Visit

India

Year'(The

Year). These films had been released

in a

sequence. CDs and VHS cassettes of these films had been made available for marketing through overseas offices and in the domestic market. Efforts had also been made to get these films telecast through various television

agencies

including Doordarshan. Uttar

Pradesh

Tourism

will

have

Circuit

based

ment campaign and will also have a few general themes to in print media. Each campaign will be based on a predesigned media plan.

133

Uttar Pradesh Tourism has launched its website and is preparing a CD-ROM. This website would be hyper linked with

all

major

sites

which

can

increase

accessibility.

Efforts will be made to provide on line information and booking service to the tourists, through this website and also E-mail. A CD-ROM on Uttar Pradesh Tourism had been released during the Visit India Year (The Millinnium Year) and had been made available in markets the world over. E-mail address: upstdc@lwl. vsnl.net.in.

One can

also visit its web site at www.up-tourism.com for an upto date of required information. An

Ayurveda

Week

was

organised

in

popularise the traditional health care system.

May '99 to Ayurveda

believes in the treatment of not just the effected part but the individual as a whole. Thus it is the best treatment to eliminate all toxic imbalances in the body and the natural way to refresh oneself. Thus it becomes easier to regain resistance and good health. It perceives human body as an integral system and goes beyond systematic relief. It is based on the belief that if body, mind and soul work in harmony human beings will have long active and

134

fruitful

life.

The

programme

is

designed

for

the

benefit

of

domestic tourists. The Indian Railways has a plan to start a Buddha Luxury

Train

in collaboration

with

the

Uttar

Pradesh

Government. On the tune of 'Palace on W h e e l s ' , this train will be fully

equipped with comforts

and facilities

par

excellence. There will also be a BAR in addition to two Dining Cars. The facilities of postal Service, Safe Deposit, Exchange of Foreign Currency, Telephone will be avail able in this train. Fully equipped with 5-star facilities, the train will complete its journey upto Lucknow in one week via Agra, Allahabad (Kaushambi), Gaya (Rajgiri Nalanda), Patna

(Vaishali),

Varanasi,

Gorakhpur

(Lumbini,

Kushinagar, Kapilvastu). Uttar Pradesh tourism has developed an International Convention Centre at Agra with the help of the private sector. The Department of Tourism of Uttar Pradesh has been participating

in

national

and

international

conference/

seminars. The Department of Tourism, Uttar Pradesh also organises tourism presentation / seminars at various places in India and abroad. During 1997-98 such 135

presentations

were held at New Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Chandigarh, New York, Chicago, Frankfurt and during

1998-99 they

were held at New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai,

Ahmedabad,

Chennai, Hongkong, New York, Chicago and Madrid. Such seminars were well represented by the organisations, and entrepreneurs

associated

with

tourism

industry.

This

helped in projecting Uttar Pradesh as a target region for travel trade. Special domestic

propaganda

tourists

to

would

Uttar

be

launched

Pradesh.

This

to

aim

attract will

be

achieved by organising trade presentations, road shows etc. in important towns of the country. Uttar Pradesh Tourism is already collaborating with CII (Confederation

of Indian Industry) and FICCI (The

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commeres and Industry) to

promote

its

investment.Special representative

products sessions

and

will

be

to arranged

encourage with

the

of CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI to make

investors aware of the incentive available. Special

projects

have

been

launched

for

the

development of infrastructure in the Vindhyachal region, Chitrakoot region, Bundelkhand and Ayodhya region. 136

On occasion of The Millennium Year,

celebrations

tourism had been successfully publicised to attract foreign tourists

to

commemorate

the

beginning

of

the

New

Millennium Year on full moon night on New Year Eve at Agra in December 1999. An International Travel writer's convention had been organised

in

Uttar

Pradesh.

This

was

a

two

week

programme in which 5 to 7 major destinations of Uttar Pradesh had been visited by the writers. 15 writer

from

foreign languages and 10 from different Indian languages had participated on that occasion. Two water sports centres have been developed one at Lucknow and the other at Roorkee. Boat clubs have been opened at Allahabad and Lucknow and another run between Chunar and Varanasi In order to assure tourist and to build relating to

confidence

safety and security, Uttar Pradesh

Tourism

with the help of the Police Department has started services of tourist

police

at major

places

like Varanasi,

Agra,

Haridwar etc. Nande Raj Jat

the traditional pilgrimage of goddess

Nande, wife of Lord Shiva, which is organised after every 137

12 year, was organized in 2000. This attracted a large number of tourists. It was in the year

1997-98 when construction

of

wayside amenities was launched in various places of the state along with the flood light of Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort and a light and sound show at Agra Fort.

Major

improvements were made in the facilities for the yatris on Char Dham Yatra and Kailash Man Sarover Yatra routes. Funds were provided to improve facilities at existing units of

the

Uttar

Corporations Jhansi,

Pradesh

State

at Haridwar,

Balrampur

and

Tourism

Bareilly Sonauli.

Development

, Moradabad, In

order

to

Agra, boost

pilgrimage tourism infrastructure development programmes costing

Rs.

17.50

crores

were

launched

for

Ayodhya,

Varanasi, Vindhyachal and Braj Sectors. Year 1998 - 9 9 was revolutionary for Uttar Pradesh, tourism. A record plan allocation of Rs. 50 crores for plain areas

alone

activities

was

relating

made

to

initiate

to

basic

tourist centres, refurbishing

a large

number

of

infrastructure,

beautifying

and beautifying

monuments

and to launch promotion facilities.

138

Schemes to develop Patan Bird Sanctuary near Agra and Samaspur, Sandi Bird Sanctuary near Lucknow had been

lanuched

to provide

tourists destinations.

more attractions

near

major

Other major projects taken up in

1998-99 included improvement of Kesi Ghat at Mathura and ghats at Varanasi, beautification of Chaukhandi Stupa at Sarnath, construction of a Tourist meditation

Complex

at Varindavan

included.

other

development

undertaking

Parikarma Road in Varanasi, improvement of facilities at Vindhyachal, refurbishing of Baruasagar Fort in Jhansi , flood

lighting

of monuments

at

Sarnath

and

ghats

at

Varanasi and Mathura, Completion of Ram Kathe park at Ayodhya, Qaiser Bagh Heritage Zone in Lucknow, Ramgarh Tal Tourist Complex at Gorakhpur, a Yoga and Ayurveda centre at Haridwar and development of Bundelkhand and development of shilpagram at Agra. "Ayodhya package" was an important announcement of the Department of Tourism, sanctioned at a cost of about Rs 21 crores, This project consists of setting up an Ayodhya Nidhi Terth Yatri Niwas, Rain Basera and various other works relating to tourism development, beautification and provision of public amenities. 139

Under

the

Buddhist

Circuit

plan,

development

of

place of Buddhist interest is being carried out with the cooperation of OECF (Japan) Keeping in view the international importance of Agra a Heritage Fund with a corpus of Rs 4.56 crore had been set up for preservation of environment and development of basic facilities. Apart from this efforts are being made to open Taj Mahal in the night for tourists. The Railway Ministry has also agreed to start "age to India" a luxury train, on Mathura - Agra - Corbett, Lucknow route.

Investment Opportunities in U.P Uttar Pradesh offers a range of exciting options. Each of

which

investment.

is

profitable,

Choose

rewarding

and

Hotels,

resorts,

from:

satisfying wayside

amenities, amusement parks, rope-ways, catering and hotel management heritage

institute, hotels,

golf

courses,

camping

sites,

drive tent

in

theatres, colonies,

manufacturing/marketing of equipment for trekking, river rafting, hand gliding, angling, skiing etc. Infect each of these aspects are related and together constitutes scope for

140

fruitful

investment. This is a progressive approach

and

should help the State in attracting new investment in hotels and other tourism units. The effective lowering of hotel rates due to lower taxation and provision of additional incentives and infrastructure facilities in the State would certainly

help

in

attracting

more

tourists.

To

enjoy

unable kilo metres of scenic splendour, centuries of historical

legacies,

accommodation

it

is

facilities

essential to

the

to

foreign

provide and

cosy

domestic

tourists. The Uttar Pradesh State Tourism

Development

Corporation

a

Limited

accommodation facilities

at

(UPSTDC)

options

every

offers

studded

bend-

tourist

with

host

of

heart-warming

bungalows

nestled

in

forests; budget hotels/motels at the centre of the city and midway complex on the highways. Once in Uttar Pradesh the luxuriant rooms drain off all your fatigue. The jiffy room service makes one feel like the privileged cuisine

one. The appetising

transcends

you

to

the

plate of

times

of

traditional

Darbars

and

Baithaks. The vintage of bars have the toast that suits ones mood perfectly. To further make sure that ones stay in Uttar Pradesh is a memorable one, UPSTDC, has a tariff 141

card that doesn't make a dent in ones wallet. Just look at the holiday

budget

once again,

chances

are the

'U.P.

Break' will fit the bill. So, make a detour to Uttar Pradesh, the land of lots of adventures, fun and relaxation.

Tourism for Socio-Cultural Environment Although there has been an increasing penetration of tourist and culture due to the influx of

foreign

tourist, the people of this region still retain most of their native

cultural

values.

Tourism

tends

to

affect

social

change through foreign s. The impact is on both foreign, domestic tourist and local inhabitants. It tends to widen people interest in world affairs and diverse cultures. This is a favourable

development. However, the

World

Council of Churches has some reservation. According to is an excessive number of tourist can generate social strains in small and unsophisticated communities. Cultural tourism covers different

aspects of travel

whereby people learn about each o t h e r ' s way of life and thought. national

It

thus

as

plays

well

as

a major

role

international

understanding. 142

in

strengthening goodwill

and

The socio cultural attractions of Uttar Pradesh are manifold,

such as: fairs

painting; folk

and festivals; arts, crafts

and

lore and folk traditions; educational

and

commercial institutions, places of historical, religious and archaeological interest. Uttar Pradesh is rich in culture, both of the

folk

variety and the classical. The classical form of dance, the kathak, flourish in Lucknow and other centers of the state. Young girls and boys come to the state from all over India and abroad to learn the art from the great masters. The popular form of dance and song persists in nautanki and the annual Ramlila which is celebrated with a great fervour all over the state generally in the month of October during the autumn navratre. The entire story of Ramayana

is

brought

as

before

the

people

by professional

as well

amateur artists for nine nights and on the tenth day the tall states of the demonking Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghanada are burnt and a dazzling display of fire works follows The genius of the artisans and craftsmen is apparent in their creations. Their worne hands deftly seem to infuse life into cold stone, wood and metal. Along side the much 143

famed marble inlay creations one will also find on display a plethora of other crafts

such as wood

carving

from

Shaharanpur, brass and other metal ware from Moradabad, hand

woven

carpets

from

Bhadohi,

blue

pottery

from

Khurja, chiken embroidery from Lucknow and silk sarees from Varanasi to name a few The multidimentional people

of

vibrancy

Uttar

life style and vigour of the

Pradesh

of their

fairs

is

reflected

and festivals.

in

the

colorful

Whether

it's

the

village, still steeped in tradition, or the town, tentatively modern, an awareness of o n e ' s roots is deeply ingrained in each and is outwardly manifested through festivities the year

round.

Fairs

and

festivals

are

celebrated

with

traditional gaiety and fervour to invoke divine blessing as well as for the sheer joy of living. To understand

the

regional

the

character,

customs

and traditions, perhaps

festivals are the best media. Karand

Mela (Haridwar), Latthmaar

Mandati Ramlilas Mela

Holi of

Braj,

(Ayodhya), Varanasi Ramlila, Rathka

(Vrindavan),

Nag

Nathaiya

Leela

(Varanasi)

Ramnavmi Mela (Ayodhya), Devi Patan Mela (Tulsi Pur) Kumbh

Mela

(Allahabad), 144

Kampil

Fair

(Kampil),

Bateshwar

Fair,

Kailash

Fair

(Agra),

Deva

Mela

at

occasion of urs Haji Waris Ali Shah (Barabanki), Sravan Jhula

Mela

(Ayodhya)

Shakmbhari

Devi

Fair

(Shakambhari), Dadri Mela (Balia) Kartik Poornima and Lolark Shasthi (Varanasi) are the most important festivals and

fairs

of Uttar

Pradesh

region

which

attract

large

numbers of domestic as well as foreign tourists. These colorful cultural features attract tourists from far and near. The main purpose of these fairs and festivals is not only to attract and amuse but also to enlighten the tourists on the character of the art, culture and folk lore of Uttar Pradesh. Experiencing the richness of the delectable cuisine of Uttar Pradesh is a joy in itself. You can savour the unique flavour lent to the cuisine by 'Dunm Pukht' cooking in earthen pots over slow heat. You can relish the richness of Mughlai cuisine that tantalised the palates of kings and experors.

Role of Infrastructure for Development of U.P Tourism The

State

Government

had

laid

emphasis

on

providing the necessary tourism infrastructure through the 145

public sector. However, with the fast changing economic scenario there was need to involve the private sector in the development

of

tourism

infrastructure

and

adopt

an

approach that would ensure the best possible utilization of resources of the state in the long run. This generation of infrastructure

will not only cater to the needs

tourists but also create direct and indirect

of the

employment.

The tourism policy takes note of the above and provides a comprehensive

package

of

incentives/facilities

to

the

private entrepreneurs for rapid development of the tourism infrastructure in the State. There

is

always

a

infrastructure

available

expected

arrive.

to

strong

and

Until

the and

correlation

between

number

tourists

unless

of the

required

infrastructure is in place tourists should not be invited to visit a destination. It is obvious that building of basic infrastructure and staffing of it are the first priorities for development of tourism in Uttar Pradesh. A number of measures

have

infrastructural

now

been

facilities

taken

to

provide

for tourism promotion

Pradesh.

146

adequate in Uttar

Railway, road and river transport development major

infrastructure

items. These have been dealt

are with

later in this chapter. Accommodation

constitutes

the

most

significant

segment of the infrastructure facilities for tourists in a country. Accommodation is of two types: (a)

Origainised accommodation, which includes hotels

and resorts (b) supplementary

accommodation,

which

would include private guest houses, tourist bungalows, youth hostels forest lodges. The new tourism policy seeks to increase the number of approved hotels from 50 to 300 in the state of Uttar Pradesh and number of available beds from 500 to 1500. Modern tourists

often

prefer

fast

and

comfortable

journey so that less time is consumed during the travel. Uttar Pradesh has four domestic airports such as Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi but has no international airport.

However,

the

commencing

of

international

air

service operated by the Indian Airlines from Lucknow to Sharjah

is a significant

happening and proved to be a

bonanza for tourism in Uttar Pradesh. More tourists are expected

to

avail

of

this

facility. 147

For

increasnig

the

number of tourists in Agra, Varanasi and Lucknow, special efforts are a foot to provide national and international air services to these cities. Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department had requested the Government of India to permit landing and taking off facility, in the night to foreign

chartered

airplanes at Agra airport, also to convert airport of Agra, Varanasi

and

Lucknow

into

international

ones

by

adequately developing them and connect Dehra Dun by air service

with

Delhi,

Agra,

Varanasi,

Kolkata

etc.

Arrangament of domestic flight between Goa, Jaipur and Agra is sought. Also to extend Kolkata bound flight from South East Asia Chennai Tehran,

and

to Vasanasi and connect Varanasi to

Colombo.

Dubai,

Air

services

Abudhabi

and

from

Lucknow

Tashkant

are

to also

contemplated.

M o d e of F i n a n c e for I n f r a s t r u c t u r e D e v e l o p m e n t Since most of the tourist attractions systems

are

Governments,

within a large

the part

purview of the

of

the

Central

and

delivery

State/

UT

Government

investment for the improvement and creation of tourist facilities is channelised through the State Governments on 148

a cost sharing basis. The state Governments generally meet the cost of land and its development while the central department meets the cost of construction etc. This method of central assistance has been continuing since the second five

year

plan

and

is

most

popular

with

the

State

Governments. It is found to be very useful in achieving a co-ordinated development of tourist facilities; The schemes assisted

through

this

method

include;

construction

of

budget accommodation Tourist Complexes, Yatri Niwases, wayside amenities, forest lodges, tented

accommodation,

Tourist Reception Centres etc; refurbishment of monuments and heritage buildings; development areas, pilgrim intensive sports

centres

development;

tourism

and

other

centres

development

facilities;

sound

of special

and

of

tourism

identified adventure

light

shows

for and and

floodlighting at monuments; promotion of fairs, festivals, rural craft melas and production of literature and publicity material. A new method of funding by way of grant in aid towards project cost was introduced during 1992-93. As per the scheme, 28 per cent of the project cost is provided by the Central Government and 12 per cent is provided by 149

the State Government. The balance 60 per cent has to be raised as loan from financial institutions or banks. This method

of

funding

is

applicable

to

bankable

projects

requiring large investments. It is expected that the State Government would be able to mobilise more resources from financial through

institution this

for

method.

investment In

the

in tourism

initial

years,

projects the

State

Government did not show much interest in this method of funding, as they were generally not interested in availing loan facilities

for putting up developmental projects. It

was, therefore, proposed to reallocate a major part of the funds provided for the scheme to normal funding schemes. The remaining budget was proposed to be used to meet the committed

liabilities

in

respect

of

already

sanctioned

projects. However, some of the State Governments became aware of the significance of the scheme and came up with new

project

for

financial

assistance.

The

scheme

is,

therefore, being continued along with the normal funding scheme. All bankable projects with substantial requirements

are

funded

under

this

scheme

financial while

the

developmental projects not requiring heavy investments are funded under the normal scheme. 150

The State Government desirous of availing

central

assistance prepare a list of projects proposed to be taken up during a particular year and discuss the same with the Central Department of Tourism during the beginning of each financial year. On the basis of these discussions, a number of projects which confirm to the norms of approved schemes and useful from the point of view of tourism are short listed or prioritised. The

State

istrations proposals

Government are

required

in prescribed

'C

to

/Union submit

Territory the

form along with

project following

documents (i)

Estimates, prepared/ vetted by the WD / State PWD (approved Civil Engineering Wing), as the case may be.

(ii)

Description about the tourist centre along with tourist traffic

for

the

previous

years,

facilities

already

available, if any and full justification for creation of the proposed facility, (iii) Location

map of the proposed

tourist map of the state.

151

project

along

with

(iv)

A certificate to the effect that the developed piece of land is readily available and the same is in possession of the State Government (State Tourism Department) and the land/title of the land will be transferred in favour of Government of India free of charge and free of cost. The certificate should also indicate the exact location of land with site measurement, name of the place and district, etc. along with an undertaking in prescribed

format

from

the

State

Government,

as

given in ' C form. (v)

Blueprints, facilities

drawings,

details

to be created

of

the

proposed

with rate per sq. m. and

estimated cost of each of the facility. The projects and proposal received with the above details are scrutinised approved

with reference

schemes, their desirability

to the norms

of

and availability

of

resources. The projects satisfying the existing guidelines are then approved for financial assistance. The actual releases against the sanctioned

projects

are made in 3 to 4 instalments. The first instalment is normally

released

instalments

are

as

an

released

advance on 152

and

submission

the of

subsequent utilisation

certificates in respect of the funds already released. The total release made to any State Government in a year thus depends upon the efficiency of the state in executing the project.

P r o j e c t s r e l a t e d to T r a n s p o r t A c t i v i t y The

Department

of

Tourism

has

a number

of

prestigious projects lined up for implementation, which are aimed at an all round development of the transport sector in the state both institutionally

as well as a

service sector industry. The

area

management,

of

coverage

development

establishment

of

a

Computerisationn

of

includes inland

Research

&

bus

station

water

transport,

Training

Institute,

and Networking of the

Department,

introduction of Integrated Mass Rapid Transport System in

Lucknow

comprehensive

and

Kanpur,

Transport

and Plan

preparation for

the

of

a

Agra-Taj

Trapezium Area, to safeguard the world heritage site of Taj Mahal from the ill-effects of vehicular pollution. In population

view and

of

the

travel

rapidly demand 153

growing

in the twin

vehicular cities

of

Lucknow and Kanpur, the department has embarked on the

plan

of

providing

an

Integrated

Mass

Rapid

Transport System in these cities. The preliminary study for

both

cities

had

been

conducted

by

Rail

India

Technical & Economic Services (RITES), a Ministry of Indian Railways undertaking. Based on recommendations forwarded in the study report,

two

separate

Steering

Groups

have

been

constituted for each city under the chairmanship of the Divisional Commissioner. Both have agreed upon the preliminary proposals regarding the implementation of MRTS contained in the Study Report. It had also been proposed by the two groups that an Apex Body, under a full time Executive Head be constituted, which would be responsible

for

the

planning,

finance

mobilization,

preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) and its implementation. A brief outline of the proposals forwarded is given hereunder: Lucknow A total cost of Rs 1483 crores is envisaged in the establishment of the following infrastructure; 154

Light

Rail

System

from

Sarojni

Nagar

to

Telco

factory. Length: 26.9 kms, Cost: Rs 1261 crores. Rail

corridor

from

Lucknow

Junction

to

Malhaur

Length: 20 kms, Cost: Rs 169 crores Inland Water Transport on river Gomti from Gaughat to Gomtinagar, Length 10 kms, Cost: 8 crores Kanpur A total cost of Rs 443 crores is envisaged in the first

phase

for

the

establishment

of

the

following

infrastructure; Rail Corridor

1: Mandhana to Kanpur Central

via

Kalyanpur, Rawatpur, Anwarganj (18.7 kms on NER) Rail

Corridor

2:

Panki

to

Dhakkanpurwa

via

Govindpuri (9.66 kms on NR) Bus Corridor

3: Dedicated busway from

Rawatpur

station to Bhingwan via Ambedkar Road, Mall Road,Canal Road (19.6 kms)

Computerisation

«& N e t w o r k i n g

of

the

Transport

Department In order to computerize all its functions and records, the Department

had retained 155

the

Government

of

India

undertaking NIC to implement the project in the transport department.

NIC

has

done

the

study

to

ascertain

the

hardware and software requirements for the 72 regional and sub-regional offices located in the plains of UP. A total cost of Rs 12 crores has been estimated for this project. In the first phase, the Transport

Commissioner's

office at Lucknow, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Lucknow, ARTO offices have

been

computerised.

computerisation which

the

Meerut,

at Unnao and

will

cover

transport

Noida

and

The

second

11 other

offices

Lakhimpur phase

offices,

located

at

are

being

Ghaziabad

of

out

of

Moradabad, taken

up

immediately. The requisite software being used for the various functions like registration of vehicles, issue of permits, enforcement, vehicles,

pollution

collection

of

control, Road

technical Tax,

fitness

Goods

Tax

of and

enger Tax etc, has been developed by NIC. The hardware

is

being

procured

by

NICSI,

which

is

a

subsidiary of NIC. The cities of Agra, Mathura, Fatehpur Sikri and Ferozabad together constitute the Agra-Taj 156

Trapezium

area,

which

is

important

in

view

of

the

growing

industrialization within the area, and its close proximity to the national capital New Delhi. It is also a world heritage site since the Taj Mahal is located here. The requirements of an integrated transport system have to be identified

in this area for which

detailed

studies have been conducted by RITES at an estimated cost of Rs 36 lakhs. The Government of India's Ministry of Urban Development will bear 40 % (Rs 14.40 lakhs) of the cost of this study while the UP state government will bear the remaining 60% (Rs 21.60 lakhs). The study has been completed, and the recommendations have

been

communicated

to

the

implementation

agencies.

Inland W a t e r T r a n s p o r t The

Government

of

India

has

declared

the

Allahabad-Haldia section of the river Ganga as National Waterway No

1. The Inland Waterways Authority

of

India (IWAI) is the apex body that is responsible for the development

and

maintenance

of

the

National

Waterways, while the responsibility of cargo movement 157

through the IWT is also shared by the Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC), Kolkata. As

far

as

the

development

of

IWT

in

UP

is

concerned, the Department of Transport had forwarded the following proposals to the Government of India for initiating IWT in the state:

River

Section

Length

Ganga

Allahabad to Kanpur

250 kms

Jamuna

Allahabad to Mathura

500 kms

Gomti

Lucknow to Aurihar

300 kms

Ghagra

Faizabad to Ballia

300 kms

Out of these, the proposal for IWT on river Ghagra has been taken up and the preliminary study, as well as the detailed techno

hydrological economic

and

trasportation study has been conducted, which indicates strong possibilities for the development of IWT on this section.

As a next step, the DPR for

infrastructure

development and subsequent IWT operations on river Ghagra has to be prepared, for which an agreement with RITES is being actively considered by the Govt. 158

Simultaneously, the UP IWT Rules had framed under the Indian Steam Vessels Act, 1917 which will govern the registration and operation of all motorised

water

vessels sailing in the state's rivers. As a part of the introduction of MRTS in Lucknow, the development of IWT on river Gomti from Gaughat to Gomtinagar barrage, is also covered in the project. This is aimed at providing an alternative and

eco-friendly

urban transport mode to the commuters of Lucknow.

State

Transport

Research

& Planning

Institute

(STRAP) In order to cater to the various demands that the road

transport

research,

industry

studies,

is faced

with

data generation

and

in areas

like

dissemination,

training of personnel, and quality certification etc, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to establish a scientific

and modern

institute

in the field

transport. Consequently, the State Transport and Planning

Institute (STRAP), has been

of

road

Research ed

under provisions of the Societies' Registration Act, with the following objectives: 159

• To

promote

and

establish

a

scientific

and

modern

research, planning and development institute in the field of road transport. • To create and establish all necessary infrastructure, both in of equipment and expertise, in various facets of road transport and allied subjects, including for study and research. • To

undertake

Central

and

studies State

and

consultancy

Governments,

services

Public

and

the

Private

Sector undertakings and allied industries. • To impart training to officers and staff engaged in road transport organisations • To establish a Data Center and library, and to publish journals,

periodicals

and research

papers

on

related

subjects. • To

organise

conferences

seminars,

workshops,

etc on various related

lectures

subjects

and

with

the

purpose of educating and training of transport personnel as well as the public. • To

provide

certification

testing

and

trial

facilities,

and

of machines, equipment and spare

being used in the transport sector. 160

quality parts

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of STRAP has been

prepared

by

RITES,

which

envisages

the

requirement of Rs 18.64 crores for the establishment of STRAP.

Bus T e r m i n a l A u t h o r i t y ( B T A ) The state of Uttar Pradesh has about 88000 Kms of motorable

roads,

nationalised.

out

The

of

which

UPSRTC

is

22323

operating

Kms about

are 7500

buses on nationalised routes, while the private sector is engaged

in

operating

about

22000

buses

on

the

remaining road length. Whereas the private sector is catering

to

UPSRTC's

an

estimated

annual

share

65 of

crore

engers,

engers

is

about

the 40

crores. As far as enger

amenities

in of bus

stations is concerned, the UPSRTC has 417 bus stations out of which 242 are housed in its own buildings, while the remaining 175 are located in rented premises. In the private sector also, there is a need to establish a chain of bus stations for private buses.

161

In view of the lack of enger amenities in the private road transport sector, and their inadequacy in the UPSRTC, the state transport department mooted the idea of establishing a Bus Terminal Authority of UP (BTA), which would work as an independent body for the

operation,

maintenance

and

development

of

bus

stations in the state - both for the private and public sector. The decision to establish BTA has been taken by Government of Uttar Pradesh. The objectives of Bus Terminal Authority will be to construct and establish a viable, and well-managed

bus

station network

bus

stations

under

in the state, to bring all existing the

unified

command

of

BTA

and

to

facilitate the operation of both private and public transport vehicles from these bus stations.

"Discover Your Roots" Scheme Of

the

numerous

schemes

of

the

Uttar

Pradesh

Department of Tourism described in some detail in the next chapter 4, mention needs to be made, here and now, of the

"Discover

Your

Roots"

Scheme

launched

by

the

department. It is a novel scheme, aptly named as "Discover 162

Your

Roots"

inquiries

in

from

which NRI's,

the

Department

Britishers

ancestors had once lived/worked

and

on

receiving

others

whose

in Uttar Pradesh,

will

make efforts to locate their places of birth, origin through the letters, school certificates, ports, land records and through

personal

inquiries.

The

Department

will

also

provide all necessary facilities in India for their visit to such

places

where

they

would

be

accorded

a

warm

traditional welcome. It would be a great event for them to meet old acquaintances or their descendents. To get to see the

remnants

ancestors

of the

house

where

their

forefathers

lived, schools they visited, wells where

or they

bathed, fields which they tilled and temple/mosque/church where they prayed would be a nostalgic experience

for

them. The N R I ' s , whose roots are discovered and could also be named

after

them, may adopt the birth

villages of their forefathers

for development

place,

activities,

thus immortalizing the memories of their forefathers for all times to come. The Department of Tourism, calls upon all such Non Resident Indians and nationals of their countries interested in India to send their queries with all details.

163

It is anticipated that they cherish a desire to visit the motherland of their ancestors, acquaint themselves with the heritage and see the present day living conditions of India. They also presumably crave to see those particular places where their forefathers lived before they migrated. As their ancestors migrated more than 100 years before, the present generation

sometime

places

their

of

knows

very

little

ancestors.

They

do

about not

the

have

birth proper

documents also to trace the place of their origin as quite a few of these original migrants were illiterate. their

toil and

acquired

labor,

places

of

they

or their

importance

children

in political,

Through have

now

social

and

business circles of the countries of their migration. 'Discover Your R o o t s ' Scheme, it seems, has already taken its roots deeply among the NRIs, British and others, whose ancestors had once lived/worked in Uttar Pradesh. As soon as this novel scheme hit the website,

queries

begun to pour in. One such query was of Mr. Mahadeo Prasad residing in 8928, 210th St Queens Villa, Queens Village New York forefathers

had

Gurbakhshganj

in

11427, U.S.A. He informed migrated

from

Distt.

Raibereli. 164

some

that his

village

Working

on

near this

information the Uttar Pradesh tourism immediately did the necessary research work and found the place and even located some family of Mr. Prasad. After getting this pleasant news, Mr. Prasad is now planning to visit Uttar Pradesh in the near future. Another novel scheme is the Special Package Ganga Varanasi Tourist income's. Twenty percent of the income emanating from the implementation of the scheme is given to the Little Stars School established by Asha Pandey to provide free education for 75 poor and deprived children of Varanasi aged 4-14 years. For successfully region

as

Uttar

promoting tourism

Pradesh,

the

Uttar

in as large a

Pradesh

Tourists

Development Department has divided the state into the following

nine

Circuit, Braj Vindhya

Circuits:

Buddist

Circuit,

Bundelkhand

(Agra - Mathura) Circuit, Awadh

Circuit,

Water

Cruise

Circuit,

Jain

Circuit, Shirines

Circuit, Sikh Panth Circuit and Eco-tourism Circuit. These Circuits are dealt in some detail in the next Chapter Four.

165